The municipality of Skjervøe was established on 1 January 1838. In 1863, the southeastern part of the municipality was separated to form the new Kvænangen Municipality. This left 2,785 people in Skjervøy. Then on 1 January 1886 the southern part of the municipality was separated from Skjervøy to form the new Nordreisa Municipality. This left 2,096 inhabitants in Skjervøy. On 1 January 1890, the Trætten and Loppevolden farms were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa. On 1 January 1965, the Meilands area was transferred to Kvænangen. On 1 January 1972, the parts of Skjervøy lying on the mainland were transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa, and the uninhabited Mannskarvik farm was transferred to Kvænangen. Then on 1 January 1982 the southern part of the island of Uløya was transferred from Skjervøy to Nordreisa. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county.
Name
The municipality is named after the small island of Skjervøya, since the first Skjervøy Church was built there. The first element is skerf which means "rocky ground" and the last element is øy which means "island". Before 1909 the name was written Skjervø, and earlier it was spelled Skjervøe.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 27 March 1987. The arms show the black head of a cormorant on a silver background, partly canting since skarf means cormorant. The cormorant also symbolizes the coastal municipality, which is dependent on fishing for its living. The cormorant is also a common bird in the area.
The municipal council of Skjervøy is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
Geography
The island municipality is surrounded by the Norwegian Sea to the north, Ullsfjorden to the west, Lyngenfjorden to the southwest, Reisafjorden to the southeast, and Kvænangen fjord to the east. The municipality consists of several islands, the major one being Arnøya, with the villages of Årviksand, Akkarvik, and Arnøyhamn. Most people, however, live on the relatively small island of Skjervøya, where more than 2,316 people live in the central village of Skjervøy with its sheltered harbour. The other islands include Haukøya, Kågen, Laukøya, Vorterøya, and the northern half of Uløya. Kågen and Skjervøya are connected by the Skjervøy Bridge. Kågen is connected to the mainland by the Maursund Tunnel.
Climate
Transportation
The Hurtigruten stops at the village of Skjervøy. There is also a scheduled operated by with intermediate stops between the village of Skjervøy and the city of Tromsø. The undersea Maursund Tunnel connects this island with the mainland to the south. There are also ferry connections between the islands of Arnøya and Laukøya offered by both and . Sørkjosen Airport offers flights to Tromsø and several destinations in Finnmark.
